Flexible Employment Arrangements Research Articles

Variability Among Polish Workers in Flexible Employment: A Sociodemographic Analysis

This paper presents sociodemographic data derived from an empirical study conducted on a sample of n=2118 workers engaged in flexible forms of employment, within a broader research endeavor titled “Occupational challenges among individuals working under flexible employment arrangements – a psychological perspective”. The decision to focus on this segment of the research stemmed from a trend identified in international literature, examining the profile of the average flexible worker in highly developed nations. Analysis of the sample of flexible workers reveals a cohort primarily comprised of young individuals, with comparable representation of both genders, residing in urban areas, and possessing relatively short tenures of employment. They tend to be well-educated, married with children, having a limited number of past employers, and predominantly employed within the private sector. The characteristics of the Polish study sample align with descriptions of the typical flexible worker in Europe.

Flexible Employment Arrangements and Perceived Employee Productivity at a Media Organization: An Empirical Case Study from Nepal

Flexible Employment Arrangements and Perceived Employee Productivity at a Media Organization: An Empirical Case Study from Nepal

Do workers like employer driven flexibility? Experimental evidence on work and pay uncertainty and willingness to work

ABSTRACT Flexible employment arrangements where workers only provide labour (and are paid) when requested to by their employer have proliferated. How do workers react to the resulting instability in work schedules and pay? This study seeks to provide an answer using experimental methods. 301 low-income, working age, non-student individuals took part in an on-line experiment simulating standard and zero-hours contractual conditions. Results unambiguously support the hypothesis that work uncertainty discourages work. This is not only because variability in work availability reduced total expected pay but also because uncertainty itself is avoided, even at the cost of lower total earnings. Public benefits play an important moderating role. Workers are more likely to accept uncertain work and pay when access to out of work benefits is limited or when benefits automatically top up incomes during periods when work is unavailable.

Do the flexible employment arrangements increase job satisfaction and employee loyalty Evidence from Bayesian networks and instrumental variables

This study explores the relationship between job satisfaction, employee loyalty and two types of flexible employment arrangements; teleworking and flexible timing. The analysis relies on data derived from the workplace employment relations survey (WERS) in 2004 and 2011. We apply the propensity score matching approach and least squares regressions. Furthermore, we employ the Bayesian networks (BN) and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to confirm the causality between employment types explored and the outcomes of interest. Additionally, we propose an instrumental variables (IV) approach based on the BN framework. The results support that a positive causal effect from these employment arrangements on job satisfaction and employee loyalty is present.

Do the Flexible Employment Arrangements Increase Job Satisfaction and Employee Loyalty? Evidence from Bayesian Networks and Instrumental Variables

This study explores the relationship between job satisfaction, employee loyalty and two types of flexible employment arrangements; teleworking and flexible timing. The analysis relies on data derived from the workplace employment relations survey (WERS) in 2004 and 2011. We apply the propensity score matching approach and least squares regressions. Furthermore, we employ the Bayesian networks (BN) and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to confirm the causality between employment types explored and the outcomes of interest. Additionally, we propose an instrumental variables (IV) approach based on the BN framework. The results support that a positive causal effect from these employment arrangements on job satisfaction and employee loyalty is present.

Do the flexible employment arrangements increase job satisfaction and employee loyalty Evidence from Bayesian networks and instrumental variables

This study explores the relationship between job satisfaction, employee loyalty and two types of flexible employment arrangements; teleworking and flexible timing. The analysis relies on data derived from the workplace employment relations survey (WERS) in 2004 and 2011. We apply the propensity score matching approach and least squares regressions. Furthermore, we employ the Bayesian networks (BN) and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to confirm the causality between employment types explored and the outcomes of interest. Additionally, we propose an instrumental variables (IV) approach based on the BN framework. The results support that a positive causal effect from these employment arrangements on job satisfaction and employee loyalty is present.

Meaningful Work and Subjective Well-Being: The Role of Job-Career (In)congruence in the Gig Economy

Flexible employment arrangements on multiple online intermediary platforms with few constraints as to how much, when and where work is performed is becoming the new work reality for many individuals. Arguments have been advanced that this type of work is inherently demeaning. In this article, we seek to explore the worker perspective regarding whether these types of gig labor arrangements are regarded as limited jobs or more as long-term careers. We draw on career construction theory and hypothesize a job-career congruence model that suggests that when workers’ cognitive presentation of their gig work as jobs or careers are incongruent, they are less likely to experience their work as meaningful and subsequently experience lower subjective well-being. The results from a two-stage field study of 803 workers from two different crowdsourcing platforms support these incongruent relationships and provides clarity regarding how gig work factors in to an individual’s life. In addition, we demonstrate that workers who are proactive in nature seem to excel more in these fluid work settings, which points to the necessity of self-leadership in such work arrangements to ensure prosperity.

The relationship between flexible employment arrangements and workplace performance in Great Britain

PurposeThere is an increasing concern on the quality of jobs and productivity witnessed in the flexible employment arrangements. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between various flexible employment arrangements and the workplace performance.Design/methodology/approachHome-based working, teleworking, flexible timing and compressed hours are the main employment types examined using the Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) over the years 2004 and 2011 in Great Britain. The workplace performance is measured by two outcomes – the financial performance and labour productivity. First, the determinants of these flexible employment types are explored. Second, the ordinary least squares (OLS) method is followed. Third, an instrumental variable (IV) approach is applied to account for plausible endogeneity and to estimate the causal effects of flexible employment types on firm performance.FindingsThe findings show a significant and positive relationship between the flexible employment arrangements and the workplace performance. Education, age, wage, quality of relations between managers-employees, years of experience, the area of the market the workplace is operated and the competition are significant factors and are positively associated with the propensity of the implementation of flexible employment arrangements.Social implicationsThe insights derived from the study can have various profound policy implications for employees, employers and the society overall, including family-work balance, coping with family demands, improving the firm performance, reducing traffic congestion and stress among others.Originality/valueIt is the first study that explores the relationship between flexible employment types and workplace performance using an IV approach. This allows us to estimate the causal effects of flexible employment types and the possible associated social implications.

Do the Flexible Employment Arrangements Increase Job Satisfaction and Employee Loyalty? Evidence from Bayesian Networks and Instrumental Variables

Do the Flexible Employment Arrangements Increase Job Satisfaction and Employee Loyalty? Evidence from Bayesian Networks and Instrumental Variables

Flexible Employment Arrangements and Workplace Performance

There is an increasing concern on the quality of jobs and productivity that is witnessed in the flexible employment arrangements. However, the effects of the employment flexible types on workplace performance has not been explored in Britain. In this study the relationship between two employment arrangements and the workplace performance is examined. More specifically, teleworking and compress hours are two main employment types examined using the Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) in years 2004 and 2011. The workplace performance is measured by the financial performance and labour productivity. A positive relationship between these two types of flexible employment arrangements and workplace performance is presented. This can have various profound policy implications for employees, employers and the society overall. However, the positive association holds for employees who have high influence on their job, while it becomes negative in the case of teleworkers who have low influence.

Do the Flexible Employment Arrangements Increase Job Satisfaction and the Loyalty of the Employees? An Evidence from Great Britain

This study explores the relationship between job satisfaction, employee loyalty and various types of flexible employment arrangements using the Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) in 2004 and 2011. A propensity score matching and fixed effects regressions are applied. Finally, Bayesian Networks (BN) and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) are employed in order to confirm the causality between employment types explored and the outcomes of interest. Furthermore, an instrumental variables (IV) approach based on BN framework is proposed and applied in this study. The results support that there is a positive causal effect from these employment arrangements on job satisfaction and employee loyalty.

The relationship between employment quality and work-related well-being in the European Labor Force

In this article, data from the 2005 European Working Conditions Survey are used to examine the relationship between contemporary employment arrangements and the work-related well-being of European employees. By means of a Latent Class Cluster Analysis, several features of the employment conditions and relations characterizing jobs are combined in a typology of five employment arrangements: SER-like, instrumental, precarious unsustainable, precarious intensive and portfolio jobs. These job types show clear relationships with separate indicators of job satisfaction, perceived safety climate and the ability to stay in employment, as well as with an overall indicator for work-related well-being. The findings from this multifaceted approach towards employment quality raise questions about the long-term sustainability of highly flexible and de-standardized employment arrangements.

Substitutes for Immigrants?

The rapid aging of Japan’s population and workforce has prompted proposals by key political and economic actors to advocate for immigration, though public sentiment has generally been opposed to immigration. Japan has therefore undertaken social policies to mobilize seniors and women as workers and establish gender equality in employment. These measures have sought to reduce the rising costs faced by Japan’s pension system and mitigate the long-term decline of the country’s fertility rate. The author examines the efficacy of these social policies in the context of Japan’s deregulation of labor markets and the expansion of flexible and low-wage employment arrangements. Although the proportion of nonregular employment has grown since the late 1980s, it has not created gains in productivity, though it has increased economic disparities. These outcomes suggest that the importation of unskilled immigrants as a (similarly) cheap source of labor would not be an adequate solution.

Work-family conflict in comparative perspective: The role of social policies

This study focuses on the role of social policies in mitigating work-family incompatibilities in 27 countries. We ask whether work-family conflict is reduced in countries that provide family-friendly policies and flexible employment arrangements, and whether women and men are similarly affected by such policies. The study, based on the ISSP 2002, demonstrates considerable variation among countries in the perceived work-family conflict. In all but two countries, women report higher levels of conflict than men. At the individual level, working hours, the presence of children and work characteristics affect the perception of conflict. At the macro level, childcare availability and to a certain extent maternity leave reduce women's and men's sense of conflict. Additionally, the availability of childcare facilities alleviates the adverse effect of children on work-family balance for mothers while flexible job arrangements intensify this effect.

Flexible Employment as a Unidirectional Career? Results from Field Experiments

Although the number of flexible workers is constantly growing, little is known about career paths built up on flexible employment. In this article, we investigate the chances of former flexible workers to be employed in a permanent full-time position. In two field experiments, we asked for employers' evaluation of applicants with a flexible employment history. Results indicate that former part-time work is in fact perceived as a disadvantage for candidates when applying for a permanent full-time position while other types of flexible work (e.g., fixed term contracts, part-time work, and interorganizational mobility) are not. Implications of these results for individual careers and employers' understanding of personnel are discussed. Key words: flexible employment, standard employment, contemporary careers, evaluation of CVs Introduction Since flexible employment arrangements like temporary work, project-based employment, and freelancing are continuously gaining importance (Connelly/Gallagher 2004), variety in employment is constantly growing. From an organizational point of view, this development challenges the traditional understanding of personnel. While, in the past, organizations mainly turned individuals into personnel using standard employment, today a vast majority of organizations uses some kind of flexible employment as an integral part of their staffing policy (e.g., Matusik/Hill 1998; Brewster/ Mayne/Tregaskis 1997). In terms of working arrangements, the category 'personnel' is thus likely to become more and more diffuse and heterogeneous. The boundaries between those who are inside an organization and those who are not are getting blurred (Pfeffer/Baron 1988). On the individual level, variety in employment arrangements is reflected in the decline of the traditional organizational career; the number of workers spending at least some time of their career within flexible work arrangements is growing (Ashford/George/Blatt2007). Despite the ongoing diffusion of the traditional category 'personnel', standard employment is still the norm - within organizations as well as within individuals' minds (Ashford/George/Blatt 2007; Currie/Tempest/Starkey 2006). The co-existence of standard and flexible forms of employment raises the issue of the permeability of the boundaries between the new and the traditional ways of working. If the boundaries between standard employment and flexible employment are permeable, the rising variety in employment does not seem to indicate the 'end of personnel'. Rather, this would imply that our traditional understanding of the category 'personnel' needs to be extended to individuals with various career pathways. In this case, individual careers will include periods of standard as well as flexible employment. If, however, the boundaries between standard employment and flexible employment are not permeable, the classical category of 'personnel' will be split up into two subgroups: a decreasing group of traditional personnel and a growing segment of individuals following alternative flexible career pathways. Prior research on the permeability of career boundaries indicates that flexible employment may impede chances for future standard employment (Barker 1998; Oschmiansky/Oschmiansky 2003). Flexible employment is therefore often perceived as a one-way street leading into a unidirectional career (Barker 1998). However, studies investigating employment chances of individuals with similar qualifications and motivation are still rare. By presenting results from two field experiments, our study aims at filling this gap. We gathered employers' evaluations of fictitious applicants with a flexible employment history. We focused on three research questions: First, we analyzed if potential employers generally favor applicants with a standard career pathway over applicants with a non-standard employment history. Second, we investigated whether different types of flexible employment (i. …

The Labor Supply of Older Americans

This paper summarizes what is known about the labor supply of older men, defined as those 55 and over. The topic is of great interest because older individuals will comprise a much greater portion of the population, so their labor supply will have a significant impact on national output, tax revenues, and the cost of means-tested programs. Most importantly, a greater proportion of older individuals will need to work than do at present, because retirement income systems are contracting and working longer is the only way for most to ensure financial security in their old age. The focus is on men, because women's work patterns reflect the increasing participation of cohorts over time as well as the factors that affect retirement behavior. Section I of this paper describes the changes to the retirement income system that will require people to work longer. Section II summarizes the long-term decline in labor force activity among older individuals and the factors that contributed to that trend. Section III describes the recent turnaround in the labor force activity of older people and the changes in Social Security and pensions that likely led to that reversal. In an attempt to determine whether the labor supply of older workers will continue to increase, Section IV describes changes in work patterns that have emerged in the last 20 years, leading to more mobility and less tenure among older workers and the implications of such changes on labor supply. Section V addresses the issue of health to ascertain the extent to which older people can be expected to continue in the labor force, noting that for 15 to 20 percent of the work force continued employment will be impossible. Section VI discusses the remaining incentives to retire - namely, the availability of Social Security at 62 and the lack of flexible employment arrangements. Section VII concludes.

System Error: Labour Precarity and Collective Organizing at Microsoft

This article challenges the notion—proposed by liberal-democratic theories of the “knowledge worker" and industry accounts of “friction-free” capitalism—that labour conflict is no longer relevant within digital capitalism via an in-depth examination of a case of collective organizing by temporary workers at Microsoft. The paper suggests the formation and activities of their union, WashTech, prefigures 21st century collective organizing. Two concepts are proposed as guides to these struggles. “Immaterial labour" refers to a set of increasingly important forms of labour within post-Fordism, ranging from call-centre work to software development. “Precarity" denotes the material and existential insecurity suffered by workers as a result of flexible employment arrangements. These concepts are examined by drawing on archival material and interviews with WashTech members.

Flexibility on whose terms?

PurposeAs part of an ongoing project on worker well‐being, this paper aims to examine the application of flexible work arrangements through the experiences of core workers in a small, European‐owned, New Zealand manufacturing firm.Design/methodology/approachA participatory action research approach is taken.FindingsThe research reveals that flexible employment arrangements utilised in this firm did not afford protection to core workers as theory suggests. Both core and peripheral workers were exposed to pressure primarily to extend their hours of work and to reduce their expectations regarding remuneration. Production level increases were not reflected in increases in numbers of core workers; in fact perceived job security was low. Core workers felt pressure to work extended hours out of their commitment to the firm, each other, and to maintain their own employment.Practical implicationsThe use of more democratic processes inherent in action research oriented at workplace well‐being are shown to have had some value toward enhancing worker well‐being.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that the participative project placed pressure upon management and that it had the potential to redress a power imbalance within the employment relationship.

The use of flexible employment arrangements: some new evidence from Greek firms

The present study attempts an examination of the extent to which Greek firms use flexible employment arrangements, the kind of jobs in which they are used and the factors affecting their use. It concentrates on three types of flexible work: temporary workers, independent contractors and subcontractors. Drawing upon data from a sample of seventy-five companies, it identifies factors affecting: a) firm's decision to use flexible forms of work or not and b) the percentage of flexible workers used. Irini Voudouris, Athens University of Economics and Business, Department of Management Science and Technology, 76 Patission str, Athens 10434, Greece (e-mail: ivoudour@aueb.gr) The main findings indicate that different types of flexible worker are used by the same firm for the accomplishment of different kinds of job and are affected by different factors. Training costs and monitoring problems appear to be the most influential factors explaining the use of temporary workers, while low frequency of specialized tasks is the main factor affecting the use of independent contractors and often the recourse to subcontractors. Results from the Greek national context would add to existing evidence on this important issue.

The Slipperiness of Stability: Contracting for Flexible and Triangular Employment Relationships in the New Economy

This Article argues for the need for new laws and adequate guidelines for today's flexible staffing arrangements. Flexible employment arrangements in the new market are simultaneously efficiency-driven and developed through continuous political and legal action. While the employment agency industry is potentially a welfare-enhancing sector in certain environments, it also produces new forms of mistreatment of workers in the absence of adequate regulatory incentives. These new economic structures necessitate the development of a new normative model that allows certain forms of market flexibility yet maintains the social norms that continue to inform fair employment policies. Part II of this Article explores the range of taxonomies and categories that have developed in the flexible staffing industry. This Article sets forth the argument that the complexity and variety that characterize the industry is not accidental, but a product of legal and economic struggles for recognition of flexible employment arrangements as legitimate practices in the new economy. Part III further describes the various factors that motivate the emergence of flexible employment from the perspective of employers and workers. These factors include both legitimate economic needs and problematic attempts to evade legal protections. Part IV then moves to a third set of factors that motivate flexible staffing arrangements-those of the flourishing employment agency industry. This Part further describes the public efforts of the staffing industry to legitimize its status in the triangular employment context, including the advocacy, lobbying, and public relations efforts by its trade associations. Part V is an analysis of the recent efforts by courts, administrative agencies, and legislative commissions to define the legal parameters of the various new flexible employment arrangements. Drawing on comparative insights, as well as the problems and inconsistencies among recent cases, Part V demonstrates the inadequacies of the existing common law doctrine in addressing these new challenges and suggests alternative doctrines and policies that would be better suited to achieve the necessary balance between flexibility and fairness.